Striking watches were invented in the past to overcome the absence of night lighting, and to know the time at any moment.
Improvements have made it possible to play melodies, for example by the juxtaposition, in a predetermined order, of sequences controlled by discs or cylinders with holes or pins such as those used in music boxes.
However, striking watches still do not offer all the possibilities provided by watches with a visual display, and in particular a distinction between day/night, morning or afternoon (AM/PM), a distinction between several time zones (GMT), or even the breaking down of time into particular time scales, as desired by the user.
EP Patent Application No 2498145A1 in the name of MONTRES BREGUET SA discloses a striking mechanism with different chimes, with a stage for a repeater unit including a drive plate with a pivoting pipe carrying a click with a beak returned by a spring and movable under the action of a detent ratchet pin cooperating with a strike work control mechanism, this stage including a ratchet which has a pipe and pivots on the pipe to cooperate, on a toothing comprised therein, with the beak of the click, which allows or prohibits rotation of the ratchet, which is integral with a first hour rack cooperating with a first hammer lever. This stage includes, pivoting about the same axis, a second hour rack cooperating with a hammer lever of said striking mechanism.
EP Patent Application No 1770453A1 in the name of CHRISTOPHE CLARET SA discloses a mechanical timepiece including a mechanism for indicating the time of a first and a second time zone, provided with a striking device for producing, as required, a chime corresponding to the time of the first or of the second time zone; this striking device is powered by a single striking barrel controlled by control members intended to release a strike corresponding to the time of the first and of the second time zone.